El diseño con base en Teoría Fundamentada

seva sadhaka-rupena siddha-rupena catra hi tad-bhava-lipsuna karya vraja-lokanusaratah

seva — service; sadhaka-rupena — with the external body as a devotee practicing regulative devotional service; siddha-rupena — with a body suitable for eternal, self- realized service; ca — also; atra — in this connection; hi — certainly; tad — of that; bhava — mood; lipsuna — desiring to obtain; karya — to be executed; vraja-loka — of the particular servant of Krsna in Vrndavana; anusaratah — by following in the footsteps.

The advanced devotee who is inclined to spontaneous loving service should follow the activities of a particular associate of Krsna in Vrndavana. He should execute service externally as a regulative devotee as well as internally from his self-realized position. Thus he should perform devotional service both externally and internally.

(Cc. Mad 22.158)

The first verse instructed the raganuga-bhakta to always think about an eternal devotee of Vrndavana. The present verse elaborates on this, instructing how to think of this Vrndavana devotee and absorb oneself in his or her loving service-mood.

We should first note that the residents of Goloka Vrndavana simultaneously exist in two manifestations, as sadhakas and as siddhas. For example, Srila Rupa simultaneously exists in Gaura-lila as Srila Rupa Gosvami (a sadhaka), and in Krsna- lila as Srila Rupa Manjari (a siddha). Since the residents of Vraja have two manifestations, there are two ways to meditate upon them. The first is externally and the second is internally.

Externally

The word sadhaka-rupena instructs one to be absorbed in thought of an eternal resident of Vrndavana by externally following the activities of their sadhaka form. For example, one who desires to achieve the service and mood of Srila Rupa would follow in the footsteps of Srila Rupa Gosvami's sadhana — nicely described by Srinivasa Acarya in Saò Goswamy-astaka.11

Srila Prabhupada says, “A devotee who is actually advanced in Krsna consciousness, who is constantly engaged in devotional service, should not manifest himself, even though he has attained perfection. The idea is that he should always continue to act as a neophyte devotee as long as his material body is there. Activities in devotional service under regulative principles must be followed even by the pure devotee (pg 126).”12

Internally

The word siddha-rupena instructs one to be absorbed in thought of an eternal resident of Vrndavana by internally (mentally) following the behavior of their siddha form. For example, one who desires to achieve the service and mood of Srila Rupa would internally meditate on the activities of Srila Rupa Manjari — nicely described by Raghunatha dasa Gosvami in Vraja-vilasa-stava.13

Srila Prabhupada summarizes, “But when he realizes his actual position in relationship with the Lord, he can, along with the discharging of regulative service, think within himself of the Lord, under the guidance of a particular associate of the Lord, and develop his transcendental sentiments in following that associate (pgs 126 - 127).”

Siddha-Pranali — A Fallacious Interpretation

Srila Prabhupada warns us to be careful of the so-called siddha-pranali process. This process is based on an interpretation of the current sloka of Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu that is deviant in two ways.14

The first deviation is to prematurely imagine one's eternally perfect spiritual form (siddha-rupa). Srila Prabhupada says, “They imagine that they have become associates of the Lord simply by thinking of themselves like that (pg 127).”

valuable lives, and in executing these devotional activities they conquered over eating and sleeping and were always meek and humble, enchanted by remembering the transcendental qualities of the Lord." 12 _{Random House W ebster's dictionary defines neophyte as "a begi nner or a novi ce." In cont ext of t he}

three phases of bhakti — sädhana, bhäva, and prema — "neophyte" refers to sädhana. The idea here is this: regardl ess of how advanced one act ually i s, he shoul d al ways ext ernally behave as a person diligently practicing to cultivate devotion.

13 _{tambülärpana-päda-mardana-payo-dänäbhisärädibhir}

våndäranya-maheçvarim priyatayä yas toñayanti priyaù präna-preñöhä-sahké-kuläd api kiläsankocitä bhümikäù

According to acaryas, realization of one's siddha-rupa develops gradually by the purified desire of the heart.

The second deviation is their proposal that the word vraja-loka (residents of Vrndavana) refers exclusively to the residents of Vrndavana in Krsna-lila such as Srila Rupa Manjari, and not to the residents of Vrndavana in their Gaura-lila such as Srila Rupa Gosvami.

Thus they wrongly interpret seva sadhaka-rupena, siddha-rupena catra hi to mean that one should imitate the activities of the gopis, both as one's external sadhana and as one's internal meditation. One can see such men dressed in saris, jewellery, etc.; not worshipping guru or Tulasi; and making a show of imitating the behavior of the gopis, even though they are not yet purified of basic material desires. Srila Prabhupada succinctly states, “Their external behavior is not at all according to the regulative principles (pg 127).”

Verse Three (BRS 1.2.296)

Learned acaryas know that the 64 practices of vaidhi-bhakti — headed by hearing and chanting — are also useful in raganuga-bhakti.

Raganuga-sadhana does not entail a rejection of vaidhi, but a more focused concentration upon particular aspects that are conducive to the individual devotee's particular mood of service. For example, the raganuga devotee does not abandon regular hearing and chanting, but focuses his hearing and chanting upon particular topics that specifically nourish his particular serving mood.

Deity worship is another example. The raganuga devotee does not reject this aspect of vaidhi-sadhana. He may continue to worship the Deity, but in a way conducive to his devotional mood. Later in the chapter Srila Rupa Gosvami will illustrate this with the story of an old man who developed the aspiration to love Krsna in a paternal mood. Narada Muni advised him to worship the Deity as his own beloved son, following the footsteps of Nanda Maharaja.

Srila Prabhupada extracts the essence of this third instruction from Bhakti- rasamrta-sindhu, “Learned acaryas recommend that we follow the regulative principles even after the development of spontaneous love for Krsna... one should specifically